Check Your Clock

The Department For Communities & Local Government in the UK is running a fire safety campaign associated with the end of daylight saving, encouraging people to test their smoke alarm when they change their clocks. A television commercial and print advertisements, launched on 24 October, highlight the association between smoke alarm testing and the clock change, by showing stark imagery of clocks which have been destroyed by a fire. The headlines prompt people to act, for example: “British summer time comes to an end soon. Make sure you don’t. When you change your clock, test your smoke alarm.” The campaign will run across print, radio and social media (facebook.com/firekills), including an online video of a real clock melting in a simulated house fire.

Click on the image below to play the Fire Safety Clock video in YouTube (HD)

Sound was designed at Radium Audio. Radium Audio immediately understood that a Foley, the reproduction of everyday sounds, approach was needed for the audio to infuse the piece with a strong feeling of impending danger, aiming to inspire a sense of urgency in the listener. The session focused on capturing the sound of melting plastic as a narrative for the clock action in the piece – such as bubble wrap, fizzy drink bottles and old computer casings, moving onto more combustible objects including old metal electronics components. The recordings were then layered in to create a feeling of being physically very close to the listener, sonically infusing the piece with a sense of kinetic movement, crafting a simple yet hyperreal, unnerving sound experience.

Stay Inspired

What is The Inspiration Room?

A global effort designed to influence, affect and involve creative communities in the development of a world standard for inspiration, particularly in the fields of advertising, design and film. More »